Excavator operator pleads guilty in Philadelphia building collapse

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Photos:Photos: Philadelphia building collapse

Photos: Philadelphia building collapse – Sean Benschop turned himself in to Philadelphia Police on Saturday, June 8. The 42-year-old crane operator was wanted on involuntary manslaughter and other charges tied to the deadly Philadelphia building collapse on June 5.

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Photos:Photos: Philadelphia building collapse

Philadelphia building collapse – Firefighters search through the rubble of a collapsed building in Philadelphia after an apparent demolition accident on Wednesday, June 5.

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Photos:Photos: Philadelphia building collapse

Philadelphia building collapse – Firefighters sort through the rubble on 22nd and Market Street in Philadelphia, on June 5.

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Philadelphia building collapse – Firefighters carry a survivor from the rubble.

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Photos:Photos: Philadelphia building collapse

Philadelphia building collapse – Emergency personnel work to pull a survivor from the rubble.

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Photos:Photos: Philadelphia building collapse

Philadelphia building collapse – iReporter Boskie Shah, a student at Drexel University, was walking down 22nd street in Philadelphia when he saw the building collapse.

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Photos:Photos: Philadelphia building collapse

Philadelphia building collapse – The four-story building was in the process of being demolished when it apparently fell onto a Salvation Army store about 10:45 a.m Wednesday morning.

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Philadelphia building collapse – Rescue workers comb through the debris as they search for survivors.

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Philadelphia building collapse – Emergency personnel load an injured person into an ambulance.

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Philadelphia building collapse – Firefighters search through the rubble looking for survivors.

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Philadelphia building collapse – An injured woman is taken to an ambulance after the building collapse.

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Philadelphia building collapse – iReporter Mike Adam shot this photo of the collapse from his apartment building across the street.

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Philadelphia building collapse – This image from Google Maps shows the building, seen on the left, before the collapse.

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Story highlights

Sean Benschop was working on tearing down a building in Philadelphia

A four-story wall collapsed onto a Salvation Army thrift store, killing six people

Prosecutors: Benschop could face as long as 20 years in prison

(CNN)The man who was operating an excavator in the demolition of a Philadelphia building that caused a deadly collapse has pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter, authorities said.

Sean Benschop was working on tearing down a vacant building in downtown Philadelphia in June 2013 when a four-story wall came crashing down onto the Salvation Army thrift store next door, burying those inside under a tangled pile of wood, concrete and rebar.

Six people were killed and 12 others were injured in the disaster.

Benschop has pleaded guilty to six counts of involuntary manslaughter, as well as charges of aggravated assault, conspiracy, causing a catastrophe and twelve counts of reckless endangerment, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said Tuesday.

His plea was non-negotiated and could result in a prison sentence of as long as 20 years, the prosecutors said. Sentencing will take place after the trial of Benschop's co-defendant, Griffin Campbell, on September 21.

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"Most of us can recall the tragic image of a free-standing, unbraced wall coming down on the Salvation Army building; a building that was open for business with employees and customers inside," District Attorney Seth Williams said in a statement Tuesday, calling Benschop's guilty plea a "substantial step in our work to fully prosecute this case."

In the aftermath of the disaster, Benschop turned himself into police and maintained that he was innocent. His attorney said he was being made a scapegoat and wasn't responsible for the collapse.